Fresh and Easy Review: An Honest Guide
Fresh and Easy is the new Home Chef plan that offers easy, zero hassle meal options at a price that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. It’s something that’s perfect for busy professionals or when out late due to work or school, for example. The company delivers pre-portioned meals with healthy ingredients, and everything comes prepared and ready for cooking.
Today’s world keeps us busy but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to enjoy a balanced and delicious meal; one that’ll give you the energy you need, and is the closest alternative to regular home cooking.
With Fresh and Easy, you can have healthy, delicious and quality food on your dining table or at the office. The meal plan’s convenient composition requires very little preparation and clean-up afterward, and you’ll have a tasty and reasonably healthy dinner (or lunch) ready within minutes! It’s a great option for busy individuals who are always on the go.
What is Fresh and Easy?
Home Chef is one of the most popular meal kit services in the USA. The company has been active on the market for years and is known for its impressive selection of home cookable meals that are filled with high-quality ingredients! Fresh and Easy is one of their most popular, and also newest, meal plans.
With this plan, dinner will be ready before you know it. The pre-portioned ingredients you receive in your box are ready to be used for cooking, and you just need to mix the ingredients together and throw them in the oven, grill, or microwave.
Fresh and Easy Pros & Cons
- Easy to Use
- Minimum Preparation Time
- Low Price
- Delicious Recipes
- Vegetarian, Low-Carb, Soy-Free, and Low-Calorie options
- Variety of Meals and Menu Options
- Delivery Is Only Free Over a Set Amount
Who is Fresh and Easy Good For?
There’s no doubt about Fresh and Easy being a quality product! It’s healthy, but you still want to be sure that it suits your needs. Let’s have a look at who this meal plan suits:
People on a Diet – Customers can opt for a low-calorie or low-carb menu, and this makes Fresh and Easy an excellent option for someone trying to lose weight. Also, they offer options for people following specific diets and for those with food allergies
.Professionals with Limited Time – Heat and eat meals are single-serve dishes that can be heated in the microwave, full of satisfying flavors that are accessible with almost no effort. Lunch or dinner is made quickly, with meal kits that take no longer than 15 minutes to cook – leaving you with lots of free time.
Someone Who Doesn’t Feel Like Cooking – The Fresh and Easy Plan is focused on convenience, and the menu includes meals prepared for the oven, grill, and slow-cooker. There are also stove-cooking recipes that take no longer than 15 minutes to prepare, plus a range of no-prep entrée salads.
Who Isn’t Fresh and Easy For?
While Fresh and Easy has a variety of meals, you might not find a plan for a specific diet (such as vegan, paleo, or other dietary restrictions), and even if you do, there’s a risk of these meal plans being somewhat less varied. It could certainly work for one or two orders, but long-term users may be disappointed.
How Fresh and Easy Works?
If you’re already familiar with Home Chef, or even if you’re a new subscriber, Fresh and Easy has one of the best user experiences according to testimonies. The Home Chef Fresh and Easy Plan includes meals for two to six people per week, depending on what you choose. This plan has no maximum limit on orders, so you can order as many meals as you need.
Fresh and Easy Website and App
It’s as easy as going to the Fresh and Easy website and clicking on Get Started. Then, let the intuitive interface guide you through the options with detailed icons for your order. If you’d prefer, you can scroll down to the bottom of the homepage to see the different meal plans. The website also has a quick introductory video where you can see the options currently on the menu.
Creating an account / Sign-up
Creating an account is very quick and easy. Just start by filling in a few questions to help the service point you in the right direction. You can choose between Home Chef and Fresh and Easy, and then decide if you have any dietary preferences (calorie conscious or low-carb, for example), and if there are any foods you want to avoid, such as pork, beef, poultry, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, and nuts.
Once you’ve provided your email address, you’ll be ready to start personalizing your meal box.
You can also sign up using your account from a few selected grocery stores, such as Metro Market, Baker’s and Ralphs. To start your meal subscription and place your first order, you need to provide your email address and then select the number of servings and meals you wish to receive (per week).
In the next step, you have the option to enter a shipping address, pick any specific dietary preferences, select your meals and provide payment details.
Fresh and Easy Meal Plans and Meal Selection Options
Number of People: 2, 4 and 6 Servings
Number of Meal Kits per Week: 2-6 Meal Kits
Fresh and Easy Meal Types
You’ll quickly discover that Fresh and Easy hosts a wide range of delicious options. The menu changes every week and features about 10-20 different items. Meals fall into three main categories: oven-fresh meals, grill-bag meals, and no-cook salads.
Lunch
Dinner
Oven-Ready Meals
15-Minute Express Meals
Meals Ready for the Grill
Slow-Cooker Meals
Pre-Made Salad Entrees
Choosing Fresh and Easy Recipes
There’s a weekly menu for you to choose your recipes from where you can customize your meal orders to fit the exact needs and preferences of your family. How many menu items you have to choose from varies from week to week, but there should be a big enough selection to find what you like. There are usually between 10 and 20 menu items.
Fresh and Easy also offers special selections where you can pick optional ingredients, or opt-out of certain ingredients, such as the following:
Pork
Beef
Poultry
Fish
Shellfish
Mushrooms
Tree Nuts
Peanuts
How Much Does Fresh and Easy Cost?
Fresh and Easy has a relatively low cost per serving. Prices are affordable and recipes are flavorful, meaning you don’t have to compromise on the two. Plus, you get $80 USD off when you sign up. With all of these perks, as well as the high quality of the meals you receive, Fresh and Easy hits that perfect price point.
The meal plans are so customizable that it’s hard to set an exact price, and your best bet is to go on the website and have it calculated for you based on your preferences. Here’s a breakdown to give you an idea of how it works:
Servings and Recipes/Week
|
Total Cost
|
---|---|
2 people and 2 servings
2 people, 2 recipes per week |
$12.45/serving ($49.8 total + FREE shipping = $49.8/week)
|
2 people and 3 servings
2 people, 3 recipes per week |
$9.95/serving ($59.7 total + FREE shipping = $59.7/week)
|
2 people and 4 servings
2 people, 4 recipes per week |
$9.96/serving ($79.68 total + FREE shipping = $79.68/week)
|
4 people and 2 servings
4 people, 2 recipes per week |
$9.95/serving ($79.6 total + FREE shipping = $79.6/week)
|
4 people and 3 servings
4 people, 3 recipes per week |
$9.95/serving ($119.4 total + FREE shipping = $119.4/week)
|
Diet Friendliness
Overall, Fresh and Easy is focused on cooking good food effortlessly at home. You’ll be able to see exactly what ingredients go into your cooking, and that’s something that makes it easier to keep track of your calorie intake as well as protein, carbs, and more. The service also offers a good selection for those who are on a vegetarian diet.
It doesn’t offer as many diet options as we might have liked, and some less popular diets may struggle to find an option that works. However, due to how customizable the meal plans are, you can easily opt out of certain ingredients or add others.
Low-Carb. There are two main categories to choose from when you order from Fresh and Easy, and one is Low-Carb. If you check this box, you get a meal selection of dishes with controlled carbohydrates where you’ll know exactly how much is in each dish
Watching Calories: Counting calories is made simple with Fresh and Easy. Each meal discloses how many calories it contains so you can keep track.
Add-Ons: Wine & More
It’s always nice to have the option to add additional items to your cart when you check out, but Fresh and Easy is more of a basic service that provides you with your meals, and that’s it. However, you can add ingredients to your meals as preferred, to customize each dish in a way that’ll make you eager for your next meal every single day.
Fresh and Easy Customer Service
If you have questions and concerns, there’s an FAQ and Support section that’ll take you to the Home Chef help center page. That, in turn, will provide help with different topics, from data security to recipes and ingredients.
To get to Customer Service, you’ll need to go directly to the Home Chef webpage. At the end of the FAQ, you’ll find the following text: “If you haven’t found your answer, you can reach us here.” Use the search box to submit a request using your email. You can also call directly.
Responsiveness– Friendly, detailed and efficient help
How can you get in touch?– Email, phone, and social media
Fresh and Easy Cancellation Policy
Currently, the pandemic has brought on some changes in the lives of many people, and time management can often become a real issue. Fresh and Easy, along with Home Chef, has an easy way to manage your subscriptions and deliveries. Canceling your subscription takes only a couple of minutes. Their flexible subscription makes it possible to skip orders or cancel your subscription at your own convenience.
You can also opt for skipping an order by clicking “Edit Meals“, scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the menu and clicking “Skip this delivery“. It’s very easy to make changes to your subscriptions and to cancel or postpone meals, and everything can be done online.
Fresh and Easy Alternatives
There are, of course, a few similarities to be found when looking at Fresh and Easy compared to other meal plan options. Home Chef, which is the main company behind the Fresh and Easy meal plan, is similar, but Fresh and Easy is cheaper and caters more to someone who’s trying to lose weight or wants to cook without hassle.
Meal Kit
|
Price / Serving
|
Minimum order
|
Meal options
|
|
---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fresh and Easy
|
$9.95
|
4 Servings
|
2-6
|
|
Home Chef
|
$6.99
|
4 Servings
|
2-6
|
|
Sunbasket
|
$11.99
|
4 Servings
|
15-20
|
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Good Kitchen
|
$12.45
|
5 Servings
|
30
|
Final Verdict
The Fresh and Easy meal plan is an ideal option for someone who enjoys cooking at home, but who doesn’t have the time to run to the store and do everything from scratch. The pre-packaged ingredients make cooking fun and fast, and you have plenty of options to choose from when picking out your meals.
A great thing about Fresh and Easy, other than the price, is that it makes cooking easy for those who lack experience in the kitchen too. Suddenly, you’re able to prepare elaborate meals that look like they’ve come out of a restaurant kitchen. It’s a great way to feed yourself, your family and to surprise guests.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Fresh and Easy Worth the Price?
Considering how much cheaper this meal plan is compared to many of its competitors, it’d be wrong to say it isn’t worth its price. You get a quality meal that’s ideal for someone on a diet, and all ingredients are sent home to you so that you can cook it yourself.
Is Fresh and Easy Healthy
The whole idea behind this new meal plan is to provide families with healthy food options to cook at home. If calorie intake is important to you, you can check this box when you order your meals.
Does Fresh and Easy Deliver Every Day?
When you buy your meals from Fresh and Easy, you can get your kit from Monday to Friday, depending on when you order.
Does Fresh and Easy Have Gluten Free?
The company is not known for gluten-free options, unfortunately, but you can reach out to customer service to see if it’s something that can be accommodated.
Is Fresh and Easy Organic?
Not at this point. Some ingredients might be organic but it’s not something that is part of the brand’s marketing campaign, nor something you can count on to see each week.